Level reviews

"A beautiful run through this catacomb level.I had to look at the solution because I was missing the crowbar (owned by a mummy that had to explode). Relatively linear and simple level, a few mummies, skeletons and demigods to kill, but nothing difficult" - grizzly

"Despite of their simplicity, each room has personality. Audiovisually it's very OK, tasks and enemies are nicely interlaced, and the only tech flaw I spotted was demigods firing Lara's feet (happens even to veteran builders). A cute little classic level, finally one I had no problem with." - DJ Full

"The sole offering from this author is a solid looking catacomb adventure. Gameplaywise I thought it relied too much on buttons and levers, which is tried and tested TR101 but sometimes you get more than one in a single room, while you do some small errands for a few object items to proceed. Nothing ever too taxing and it doesn't outstay its welcome, which to me was a plus. 25 minutes. 01/24" - Treeble

"A very pleasant little raid for a debut effort. The Catacombs objects and textures are nicely utilised in this 27 minute level and there's some interesting architectural and colourful flourishes around, giving it an overall very pleasing look. Gameplay is simple and linear, with nothing to unduly tax any player, as you always within close proximity to your next task. There's a couple of jumps, skeleton and mummy attacks and a pushable puzzle but nothing too difficult for the average raider. It makes a nice change from the more challenging epics and would be a nice start for a beginner." - Ryan

"An above-average classic-styled Egyptian debut that absolutely nails the artistic traits down to a tee(with Lara and her various tools being the only assets with higher-res texturing). And the slightly non-linear gameplay is pretty fun to go through as well(with well-placed enemies & some engaging gameplay challenges helping to compliment towards the overall presentation). So in conclusion, a very worthwhile experience that I recommend to anyone of any skill level. A shame that afzalmiah hasn't released anything since then however, as he seems like a very talented builder." - Ceamonks890

"A really great start here from afzalmiah. As you've probably already guessed, this one involves traversing a series of catacombs at dusk. Most of the texturing and objects are standard TR4, but there are a few upgraded items here and there (including Lara herself). Structurally it is very strong and shows the work of someone who's clearly both had a crack at the tutorials and taken the time to test their first level fully before releasing it into the wild. What impressed me more than anything else was the quality of the lighting which is excellent. Texturing is store too. All in all I netted just over 40 minutes from catacombs at dusk. It's a really strong beginning and I really hope to see more in the future. Recommended. Stiggy :)" - TheStig

"Length is not always synonymous of good , this said I would may have enjoyed a bit more of this level , ended in 23 minutes. Classic catacombesque stuff , with the addition of demigods and crocs , the latter were quickly stuck into walls (maybe grey boxes were missing ) but I won't complain of this, and I did not had time to worry about the elemental wraith as it soon exploded just after meeting it (perhaps this could have been designed in a way to give a bit of adrenaline), the other enemies were well used. Undemanding level where you wonder not long what has to be done, but quite pleasant to play, the setting being believable and the lighting pleasant." - eRIC

"12.11.11 This was a very reasonable first level. The large gems near the room with the skeletons was a nice touch. The texturing and objects were mostly standard but very appropriaely placed. The title very much describes the atmosphere of the level, since it looked like dusk judging by the lighting eminating from the ceiling, and the architecture. To improve the level, the 4 skeleton room switches could have been sequence switches, and may be a few pickups under the smashable vases would have been good." - sonnyd83

"This is a nice pot-boiler of a level, of the Olde School and relatively short at about 30 minutes. Nothing fancy or pretentious here, just a well-lighted and enjoyable linear raid that won't tax anyone who has been playing Tomb Raider for a while. I wouldn't want a steady diet of these, but it's always nice to take a break from the epics every now and then to enjoy a level that's easy and just plain fun. Recommended." - Phil

"Really not a very ambicious debut, but a debut how a real debut should be, using only the resources from the original editor and trying to make good things and a correct and compact level. A good decision. There's enough (I think) time to learn more in the future, but also important to have a solid base about the rudiments of the editor. You can miss some more cameras here, some flybies, some musics, some secrets, some puzzles, high resolution textures and more, but it's a level with no bugs, easy to play and entertaining anyway. Perhaps the only defect I found is that you're forced to shoot an enemie to get an important item when you can easily avoid it and explore a lot of areas looking for it. No objections about another features. Sure an author which will bring us better levels in the future. Good work." - Jose

"It is always refreshing to see debut levels which are built with some decent effort made in terms of getting things right. This is one of them. A very tidy and organized classic Catacomb adventure. And it stands out most for its very decent looks with some nice lighting effects and beautiful ambience overall. A few enemies sprinkled along the 30 minute raid, but they act more as a diversion than a real threat. Gameplay relies a bit too heavily on buttons and switches and despite two relatively larger backtracks, your next steps are always so obvious that Lara will hardly ever stop to think about what to do. A good start for this young builder. Now on to something a little more complex and challenging in terms of play." - MichaelP

"An excellent debut level, which shows that in skilled hands a good old original wad can still be made into an enjoyable and good looking level. The well measured (ie not overdone) yellowish warm shade of lighting with the occasional colorful spots created a quite cheerful atmosphere in which it was a joy to raid. Gameplay is simplistic and very easy, but that's okay from a debut, I rather have a first time builder concentrate on the aspects of creating a level with nice looks and without technical errors and that is what happened here. I only spotted a couple of missing door sounds. The gameplay that is there is varied and flows well, enemies also competently used. An ideal choice for a relaxing level after hard day's work. Congrats Afzal, now you can start thinking about interesting gameplay elements, puzzles, jump sequences, with keeping the good aspects from here. Something to look forward to." - Akcy

"Altogether a nice run through a catacomb where mummy's roam and skeletons (apart from some other enemies but those you can kill) and dodging them is high on your list until you do find the crossbow. You do need it as one of the mummy's is carrying a sword and that is the thing you are after. For the rest it is an exploration for artefacts and buttons. Nothing too strenuous, so have fun." - Gerty

"I really enjoyed this level. A nicely made classic level, but with some new objects, which made it looks newer. It was kinda hard to guess which door you opened, but that's what made it interesting - so many places to go. The main theme was really cool, but I think it would be better if there was a flyby that matches with it. The atmosphere was awesome, the lighting made the textures better and hq looking, but I don't really get why there are red, yellow etc lighting in the room with 4 mummies. Anyway - it was nice effect. This is definitely a talented builder and I can't wait for his next release. I recommend it to anyone who likes classic-catacombs level." - misho98

"It's hard not to love a well-made little catacombs level, and this one comes with the wonderful theme of dusk. The golden lighting and water reflection really was quite delightful. This is a relaxing, straightforward debut from the talented youngster, afzalmiah. There is not much more I can add that others haven't already, but I would like to say to Afzal that you certainly have the skills necessary to create a beautiful and challenging level. This debut is, hopefully, a precusor that is not only stunning in appearance, as this level is, but also filled with interesting gameplay. I look forward to more from you!!" - Shandroid

"A solid debut to provoke memories of Lara's time in the catacombs with all the artifacts and puzzle pieces. I had a good time playing this. Naturally Lara wants the crossbow and shotgun, and will stay alert not to overlook them. Has good atmospheric lighting that we might expect from the title. Players get the usual catacombs enemies and reminiscent textures as this continues for thirty-five minutes or so. But I was left wanting a bit more. True, Lara does dive down in large water rooms, but at the end it feels that she has been tracking back and forth more or less on the same level. There could have been more complexity in multilevel play in a large room. Most of this is straightforward, although I never did figure out why some press switches were colored, or whether shooting all the bones on the floor did something (as it did in the original). A welcome level, as players seldom get a traditional catacomb level anymore, and a relaxing raid." - dmdibl

"This is a simple and pleasant level, and a very good debut. Though the Catacombs wad and textures are somewhat overused in custom levels in general, afzalmiah has made good use of them and managed to give his level a fresh feel. The texturing is very good - there are only a couple of flaws like a few underwater cracks, non-animating water textures, and some wall textures that seem to end rather abruptly. The yellow-orange lighting is quite pretty in itself, though I would have appreciated a bit more variety in colours. The architecture is very good too - most of the rooms are well built, with a good use of architectural objects like pillars and arches. The atmosphere is nice, but music could have been used more evocatively.
Gameplay is the only really weak category. There are no traps, challenging platforming or real puzzles - only exploration and hunts for a few switches and artefacts. The enemies do spice things up a bit, but the mummies and skeletons at the beginning can get quite annoying until you find the crossbow and explosive arrows (I must admit I needed a hint from the builder to find them, though they were placed quite prominently). If you don't find the crossbow and/or don't shoot all the mummies, you will miss the crowbar, a fact that you may not realize until you need one nearly at the end. Of course, it's fairly easy to backtrack, since the map is quite tiny.
Overall: A promising debut level, despite the somewhat lacklustre gameplay. Looking forward to seeing what afzalmiah has up his sleeve next!" - Mytly

"Here we have a nice looking debut level with relatively fluent and fast paced game play of about 30 or 40 minutes. Progress is always logical and straightforward with classic tasks like pushing buttons, placing Pharao's Knot or Portal Guardian and other typical artifacts to open doors into new areas. There are no agility challenges, timed runs or complicated puzzles to solve and there are also no traps; so in general the game play is very relaxing and there is no risk you will get lost in this level either. The enemies are well placed and consist of several mummies, skeletons, crocs and a few hard to kill demigods. Besides having a good atmosphere, the level also shows that the builder cared about well done lighting and correct texturing. I really thought especially the lighting was very nice, considering this is a debut level. All in all this is a smooth raid that should not be missed by anyone. I definitely enjoyed playing and testing it and I am also looking forward to more levels coming from this talented builder." - Blue43

"I have played this level three times now while beta testing, and, if simplistic at parts, this level kept its charm even until the third playthrough for me. A very nice debut level, with nearly flawless texturing and well lighted (even fits to the title). Camera hints were placed when needed. The gameplay is quite linear but there were a lot of tasks to do, the hardest ones were the fights against demigods, but there also were a few fairly doable jump sessions, a both innovative button puzzle (easy to solve though) and usage of the crossbow. There were quite a bunch of items to find, at first glance this didn't feel good but it somehow still fits to the level. Another thing maybe is that in my opinion it could be a little harder, the tasks are mostly very easy to do and a little timed run or so would make the game a little more interesting. Also, in my opinion there were a little too many levers to find. After 25 minutes Lara claimed her prize and finished the level. A more than solid debut that reminded me strongly on the classic catacomb level from TR 4." - manarch2

"It's hard to believe that this is another good debut level, there seem so many of them. I'm convinced that there's an experienced builder out there submitting levels under new names so, fess up, whoever you are (conspiratory theorists are just people too!). This is a good, old-fashioned romp through the catacombs, thoroughly enjoyable and should be playable by just about everyone. The 'Read Me' apologises for a crocodile swimming into a wall, we LIKE crocodiles swimming into walls, really! There's nothing to apologise for in this level, lots of baddies but you're given the firepower to deal with them (eventually!). Nicely three-dimensional and straight-forward gameplay. A little light, perhaps, on the agility and timed runs but not everyone likes them. All-in-all, a level to be recommended and, can we have some more, please?" - Diz

"This is a really solid little debut - a well made, traditional catacombs level with all the usual suspects, i.e. skellies, mummies, crocs, wraith etc. The gameplay is readily achievable and fairly linear, well within the capabilities of all players. There are no real surprises here, but it's an entirely blameless, enjoyable raid that will while away thirty five minutes in a very pleasant fashion. The builder has made a very good beginning here." - Jay

"I like it how you can tell that the builder was detail-oriented when putting this level together. At one point I caught myself just staring at a patch of texture that seemed new to me or the light peering through a ceiling grate. It's a great change from all those dark and dingy cave levels. Gameplay-wise, it's a nice raid, though it can sometimes get a bit confusing. I was never that good with puzzles, so just trying to figure out what had to be done in the area filled with the colored tiles while enemies were running after me got a bit frustrating. I wasn't a big fan of the mummies set loose on Lara that follow you around till you can enough fire power to kill them for good. But I'm not about to take away from the score just because of a pet peeve of mine, especially when the rest of the gameplay was enjoyable. It's just classic tomb raiding and it works well." - Janny

"This is a nice little level comprising of finding different objects to open door to reach new rooms. There's nothing terribly difficult here, which is no bad thing. The few enemies are dealt with sufficient firepower. The gameplay is linear with little likelihood of getting into difficulties. A thoroughly enjoyable recommended even for the amateur raider. Hopefully there's more to come soon." - Mister-B

"A charming debut. True,the gameplay (while smooth flowing) produces few surprises along the way,and never has you pausing much for thought;but it's pleasantly varied,filled with enemies,well textured and quite evocatively lit.In fact,the builder has clearly absorbed all the relevant technical details;exhibits a good eye for details;and can be proud of this 40 minute old-school adventure.Lets see some more,please." - Orbit Dream